Twelve hospitals in seven south Alabama counties on Monday became part of a statewide trauma system that directs emergency workers to the center most ready to treat victims.

Building on the existing award-winning system, BREMSS officials have already begun the process of expanding its framework into other parts of the state. Executive Director Joe Acker says they have started in north Alabama where they’ve already completed all hospital site visits and have identified 14 hospitals that will participate in the system.

Trauma centers and emergency departments are strained in many U.S. cities, experts say, and hospitals are ill-prepared to handle a disaster, The Associated Press reported Sunday. "Trauma systems are never more than a couple of minor incidents from being overwhelmed," said Larry Gage, president of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems.

But that’s not the case in Birmingham, where local emergency medical personnel say the Birmingham Regional Emergency Medical Services System makes this area much better prepared for a mass casualty incident disaster than many larger cities.

The February issue of Healthcare Informatics magazine cites LifeTrac among the emerging healthcare trends for national connectivity....